Wire rack

ABSTRACT

A collapsible, extensible wire display rack for relatively small items which are most conveniently displayed when hung, and which normally are sold in a large variety. The rack is either freestanding or may itself be hung from a vertically mounted pegboard.

[451 Apr. 10,1973

"United States Paient [191 Mali 3,532,224 10/1970 Grubbeta]............. ...........2l1/177 WIRE RACK [76] Inventor: James J. Malilr, 6618 Bennington FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 1 Drive, Parma, Ohio 44130 Nov. 3, 1971 [21] Appl.N0.: 195,130

40/72 ......21 1/168 307,271 5/1955 Switzerland..........................2111169 527,297 10/1940 749,878 6/1956 GreatBritain......

[22] Filed:

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mmm mnqm9 n" 5 I l I0 W d 5mm UIF 1:1] 2 8 555 A collapsible, extensible wire display rack for relative- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1y small items which are most conveniently displayed when hung, and which normally are sold in a large variety. The rack is either free-standing or may itself be hung from a vertically mounted pegboard.

211/177 X .....21 l/59 UX 8/1961 Dell et a1. ........................248/D1G 3 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures 2,644,688 Roberge 2,682,956 7/1954 2,996,192

WIRE RACK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Wire display racks have attained a high degree of commercial success and popularity because of the rela- .tive ease with which they may be fabricated, the low cost of material and the short time required to fabricate them. Particularly where a display rack is required for relatively small and light objects which must be displayed in profusion, a collapsible, portable, and inexpensive rack is conveniently made out of the wire.

Adjustment from one size to the other, either to accommodate more items or to decrease the number displayed, must be expeditiously executed in a minimum of space because of the crowded conditions in the stores where such racks are commonly used. Though many adjustable display racks are known in this art, each has certain disadvantages relating to the adjustability and the rigidity and to the ease with which the rack may be assembled or disassembled, and none is particularly suited for hanging objects in the easy and reliable manner in which the instant rack may be used.

Generally described, the instant rack is adapted to be constructed from at least two individual panels identified as swing panels, a back panel, also called a rigid frame panel, and twov supporting side members to which the rigid frame panel is removably attached. The rigid frame panel and the swing panels are constructed from wires which are resistance spot-welded or otherwise attached together, and which may be painted, chrome-plated, galvanized, anodized, or otherwise treated to protect the metal and to present an attractive appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has been discovered that a simple, economic, portable, collapsible, and extensible rack for the display of relatively small objects, such as keys, miniature license plates, and other hangable objects such as packaged balloons, hardware items, candy and the like, may be conveniently displayed in a space-conserving wire rack. The rack may be used in a free-standing position, or with the side supports removed, may be hung from a vertically mounted pegboard.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a particular embodiment of an assembled rack which has a supporting 4 base.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a portion of the rack.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the swingable panels.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an embodiment adapted to be pegboard-mounted.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, in its simplest form, the instant rack comprises a rectangular wire frame 1 which has at least two parallel, horizontal struts 2, and at least two vertical struts 3, firmly attached together, preferably by resistance spot-welding, to form a relatively rigid frame. The terminal ends of the horizontal struts 2 are preferably threaded. Intermediate the terminal ends of the horizontal struts 2 are fixedly disposed at least two vertical pins 4, the pins on each horizontal strut 2 being in vertical alignment. Two upright supports 5 are held in spaced-apart, parallel relationship by the rectangular frame 1, the threaded terminal ends of the horizontal struts 2 being inserted through the upright supports 5, the supports 5 being held firmly in place by nuts which are threadedly disposed on the threaded ends of the horizontal struts 2. Alternately, the terminal ends of the horizontal struts 2 may be provided with holes adapted to accept a cotter key, or again, the terminal ends may be adapted to accept a spring clip. Other means for demountably disposing the rectangular frame 1 through the upright supports 5 will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The lower portion of each upright support 5 is bent, first with an obtuse angle bend and then with an acute angle bend, in substantially the same plane, so as to place the lower ends of the support in substantially parallel, coplanar relationship with each other, forming a support base. The precise angles through which the upright support 5 is bent are immaterial, provided that the lower portion of the support is designed so as to provide an adequate support base when merchandise is displayed on the assembled rack. It will be recognized that the function of the upright supports 5 is to provide a stable base. It will be apparent that, where the rectangular frame 1 is relatively narrow, adequate support may be provided by a single upright support which may be bifurcated at its lower end in a stabilizing configuration such as the bent lower portions of the two oppositely disposed supports described hereinbefore, or may terminate as a large floor-engaging circular base, or the like.

At least two rectangular swing panels 6 have a plurality of transverse wire rod members 7, fastened as part of the swing panel wire frame. At least two pivot cooperating means 8 are fixedly disposed on a vertical member of the swing panel frame, in linearly vertical relationship to each other so as to cooperate with the pivots or pins 4, on the rectangular frame 1, permitting the swing panels 6 to be pivotably and removably disposed upon said rectangular frame 1. A preferred pivot cooperating means is a cylindrical sleeve 8 slipfitted on the pin 4. It will be apparent that, where the swing panels 6 are relatively short, the strain on the pivot 4 and the sleeve 8 will be proportionately less. Under such circumstances, a single pivot and pivot cooperating means for each panel may suffice, particularly if the pivot 4 is relatively long and the sleeve 8 is extended accordingly, though such a structure may be less desirable than one with plural pivot means for each panel.

Hooks, short struts, or other means 9 are fixedly attached to the transverse wire rod members 7 in spacedapart relationship to each other, the hooks 9 on successive transverse wire rod members 7 being preferably linearly disposed, the relationship between the hooks 9 being determined by the size and number of hangable goods to be displayed. Swing panels 6 may be variously constructed, with differing overall dimensions, as well as differing numbers of transverse wire rod members 7, and the number and placement of hooks 9, provided however that the pivot cooperating means are so disposed as to engage the pins or pivots 4 on the rectangular frame 1.

The pivots 4 are spaced horizontally at a distance less than the width of a swing panel and may be spaced as closely as the length of the hooks 9 and the number of articles hung thereon permit. When a plurality of swing panels 6 are pivotably disposed upon the rectangular frame 1, each panel may be pivoted through an angle less than 180, in such a way that the merchandise on any single panel, and on either side thereof, may be easily viewed. Desired items may be removed from the hooks and the panels swung out of the way to view a succeeding panel.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the upper left-hand corner of the assembled rack showing details of structure described hereinabove.

The instant wire rack may be quickly and simply assembled by a single person without requiring any tools whatsoever. Where a variety of hangable merchandise is to be displayed, for example, in a hardware store where packaged screws, nuts, and other miscellaneous prepackaged hardware is to be displayed side by side with packaged seeds for growing flowers and vegetables, small hand tools, and paint brushes and the like, all the items may be displayed on swing panels 6, each panel suitably constructed to display preselected goods. Additional panels may be added if sufficient vertical pins 4 are provided on the horizontal struts 2 of the rectangular frame 1. Where a rectangular frame adapted to accommodate only four panels is used, expansion of the rack to accommodate eight panels may be made simply by substituting an eight-pivot rectangular frame to accommodate the additional panels. A plan view of the assembled rack showing a four-panel, four-pivot rectangular frame is shown at FIG. 3. Also shown is the extreme right-hand panel in an outwardly swung position.

The above-described display rack is free-standing and portable. It may be used on the floor or disposed upon a table, display shelf, or the like. Where because of reasons of space it is desirable to hang the entire rack, as froma vertically mounted pegboard, wall or other vertical surface, as shown in FIG. 4, the upright supports 5 shown in FIG. 1 are removed and the rectangular frame 1 is hung from thepegboard by inserting pegboard hooks into suitable holes in the pegboard. Two pegboard hooks 10 are provided on the upper, horizontal struts 2 of the rectangular frame 1, the horizontal struts being slidably disposed through the eyes 1 1 of the pegboard hooks 10. Additional pegboard hooks 10 are provided on the lower horizontal struts of the rectangular frame 1 to lend rigidity and support to the display rack on the pegboard, though'more than two pegboard hooks 10 are not essential.

It is essential that the rectangular frame 1 be relatively rigid to permit the swing panels 6 to be pivotable and free of a binding action which would occur if the rectangular frame 1 were relatively flexible. It is not essential that the swing panel 6 be relatively rigid, though it is preferred. Flexibility of the swing panel 6 is not detrimental to the operation of the display rack, though will cause merchandise to fall off the hooks 8 when the panels are angularly rotated on the pivots or vertical pins 4. Thus, where swing panels 6 are to be relatively small, the panels may be formed of a synthetic resinous material, such as for example by injection molding of a thermosetting or thermoplastic material, the dimensionsof the swing anel being limited b y the charac teristrcs of the plast c material used and t e capacity of the injection molding machine. Where swing panels 6 are formed of a plastic material, hooks 9 may be snapped on to the transverse members 7 as desired, so as to be removably disposed thereupon. Alternatively, the transverse members may be provided with holes intowhich the hooks may be removably inserted. In still another embodiment, the swing panel 6 may be fabricated from plastic, complete with hook means 9, in an integral unit. The advantage of a plastic swing panel 6 is that a pivot cooperating means 8 may be molded integrally with the panel and, in conjunction with the vertical pin 4, provide pivotable operation virtually indefinitely without cleaning and without lubrication of any kind. Moreover, injection molded swing panels of plastic material dispense with the necessity of painting, chrome-plating or otherwise protecting the surface of metal and wire rod members.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, this is not to be construed as any limitation on the scope of my invention, since various changes, alterations, substitutions, deviations and modifications may be made in the embodiment shown without departing from the scope of my invention shown in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsible, portable wire rack for the display of relatively small objects to be hung in space-conserving relationship with each other, comprising a pair of upright supports in spaced-apart parallel relationship, the lower ends of which are enlarged to form a base sufficiently stable to support a relatively rigid, rectangular frame formed by plural horizontal and vertical frame struts, said frame being removably disposed between said supports, plural vertical rectangular swing panels pivotably removably disposed on pin pivots on said horizontal frame struts by at least two vertically linearly spaced-apart pin pivot cooperating means on each said swing panel pivotally disposed on pivots fixedly secured to each said horizontal struts, said pin pivots and pin pivot cooperating means, when assembled, being effective to maintain said panels in spaced-apart relationship to each other at a distance less than the width of each panel and permitting swingable movement of said panels in an are less than degrees, said panels consisting of a plurality of transverse wire rod members fixedly disposed in spaced-apart parallel coplanar relationship with each other and only terminally secured to vertical wire rod members, each of said transverse wire rod members having fixedly disposed thereon means for hanging said small objects, said means projecting normally from both sides of each said panel. 

1. A collapsible, portable wire rack for the display of relatively small objects to be hung in space-conserving relationship with each other, comprising a pair of upright supports in spaced-apart parallel relationship, the lower ends of which are enlarged to form a base sufficiently stable to support a relatively rigid, rectangular frame formed by plural horizontal and vertical frame struts, said frame being removably disposed between said supports, plural vertical rectangular swing panels pivotably removably disposed on pin pivots on said horizontal frame struts by at least two vertically linearly spaced-apart pin pivot cooperating means on each said swing panel pivotally disposed on pivots fixedly secured to each said horizontal struts, said pin pivots and pin pivot cooperating means, when assembled, being effective to maintain said panels in spacedapart relationship to each other at a distance less than the width of each panel and permitting swingable movement of said panels in an arc less than 180 degrees, said panels consisting of a plurality of transverse wire rod members fixedly disposed in spaced-apart parallel coplanar relationship with each other and only terminally secured to vertical wire rod members, each of said transverse wire rod members having fixedly disposed thereon means for hanging said small objects, said means projecting normally from both sides of each said panel. 